


all you need is love

by specuality



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Parent/Child Incest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 14:30:21
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1188663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/specuality/pseuds/specuality
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even with her heart in her chest, Cora Mills can't help but to go about love in all the wrong ways.</p><p>Belated Valentines Day fic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	all you need is love

**Author's Note:**

> Timeline may be totally off, just go with it.

Without her heart, Regina had still been the centre of her world. Everything she had done, every sin she committed, every hurt she inflicted, every vicious command was for  _her_. So that her daughter would want for nothing, so that she would never have to get on her knees for another, so that she wouldn't know the shame and the humiliation of being anything less than a royal.

Yes, Cora could concede that the hollowness in her chest had made her incapable of experiencing things like empathy or tenderness towards her daughter. Things that could have made Regina's childhood a bit sweeter. Instead, the sweetness was sacrificed for punishments harsh enough to make her daughter obey and words cruel enough to make her daughter strong.

In spite of all this, and in Cora's darker moments,  _because_ of it, her determination to give Regina the very best had never, ever wavered.

And that, Cora thought, was perhaps what had led to her daughter's cutting betrayal. Because she was so unwilling to let anything stand in her daughter's way to queendom, all those weaknesses -  _her father, insolence, compassion, kindness, the stable boy -_ had to be,  _had_  to be weeded out before they took root in Regina's soul and made her weak.

She crushed them as any good mother would, and what she could not destroy, she bent to her will. She thought Regina would understand. The girl didn't. As her plans came to fruition, she thought Regina would finally come around, realize everything Cora had sacrificed just to bring them to this very point with her beautiful daughter in a wedding dress fit for a queen. The girl banished her to another world.

And then sent an assassin after her heart.

/

During the twenty-eight years Cora waited frozen to be reunited with her daughter,  _her daughter who still loved her_ , she ached. She could feel her heart, across realms, beating fiercer than it had ever before - in or out of her body.

She had a lot of time to think.

About things she could have done differently. To win Regina's absolute loyalty and affection while she was growing up, to have guided her to her destiny with a little more deceit and a little less destruction. So that it never would have come to this and Regina would have still been the good, little girl that yearned for her mother's approval rather than the love of that wretched,  _wretched_  stable boy who could never have loved Regina as deeply and as violently as Cora. 

And as she ached and waited, and waited and ached, Cora wondered if Regina was still a queen in the new land. If her daughter still lorded over the peasants and people, as powerful as ever, or if she would give way to the rules and customs of the new land. She wondered if everything she worked to build would be cast away by a curse.

By the time the curse broke, she decided none of it mattered. All she needed was Regina in her arms again.

/

With her heart back in her chest, all of Cora's feelings were heightened thousandfold. Joy, anguish, regret, heartbreak, revulsion, hope,  _love_. And Regina was the epicentre of every emotion.

_Oh._

Her daughter's eyes were shiny. She had a smile on her face that mirrored Cora's own. She was looking at her with such -

_This is love._

She collapsed in her daughter's arms, gasping at the  _thumpthumpthump_ in her breast and the spinning in her head. Everything that had been dull before - for nearly a lifetime - now threatened to overwhelm her in their intensity. Cora had hung onto consciousness for as long as she could, unwilling to look away from her most precious thing, before she let her mind give way to darkness.

/

The first few weeks, her emotions had been entirely chaotic. She would have ripped it - her heart - out again, spared herself of the feelings that suffocated her since that day in Rumpelstiltskin's shop, if it were not for Regina. Regina had been at her side every moment, guiding her mother through the smothering intensity of feelings and reminding Cora just why this pain was worth it.

Now, things had settled down significantly.

She could see her daughter for who she was more clearly now, and she could see her own actions more clearly as well. Oh, there were a lot of things she could have done different, Cora mused as she laid herself back on the couch, but it had ultimately led her to this point. Her daughter was with her, sitting not two feet away at the other end of the couch, nursing a glass of cider.

Cora had been the cause of many people's suffering and hardships in life, but even with her heart back, it was hard to have regrets when it meant Regina was still with her after everything. She wouldn't tell her daughter, of course, but everything she had done, she would have done regardless of whether her heart was in her chest or not. The decisions just came quicker and easier without it - much less internal moral dilemma.

Now that they were in this world, a world in which feudal monarchy and classism were no longer a thing (at least, not to the extent of the Enchanted Forest), Cora did not have to make any difficult decisions to secure her daughter's safety and position. She could reap the benefits of everything that had happened while enjoying the full extent of her feelings her heart rewarded her. 

And tonight, she would put these new abilities to use. Tonight, Regina seemed upset and Cora was sure that, for once, she wasn't the cause of her daughter's pain. Her heart beat a little more energetically in her chest. She wanted to comfort.

"What's the matter, my love?"

Regina sighed and put the drink down on a coaster on the coffee table. "It's nothing, mother."

Old habits die hard.

"Don't lie to me. It isn't polite. You've been quiet since you've come home. Is it the boy? Are you upset that I'm here and he isn't?" Cora tried her best not let jealousy seep into those words. Nothing (and everything) changed with her heart back in her chest. Regina was still her whole world. But now that Cora could understand that Regina had never wanted endless power, Cora wanted to be Regina's whole world in return.

Regina had been temporarily reinstated as mayor since no one else, not even the acclaimed Snow White, was capable of overseeing the duties required to run a small town. That, Cora could understand. She could share Regina with Regina's work, just as she had expected to remain in her daughter's life after she became queen. But now she had to share Regina with some of her daughter's sworn enemies? It was absurd, in Cora's opinion.

Regina and her relationship with the Charmings and their Savior daughter was still precarious at best, but they were finally letting her daughter see her own son again, as per Henry's request.

Henry. Regina's son. Her grandson. Cora's own feelings towards Henry Mills Jr. were a mixed bag, but she could acknowledge that the boy was significant to Regina. In any case, it wouldn't do to have Regina think that Cora's bitter tone was because of an eleven year old child - even if it was the truth.

"No, mother, this has nothing to do with Henry.. in fact, he wasn't even here tonight. He told me last week that his grandparents were going to take him camping for this weekend." There was a resignation in Regina's voice that let Cora know Regina was telling the truth.

She looked at Regina curiously. "Then who were you with tonight?" 

Cora became all the more curious when Regina flushed and looked away. "No one."

"Regina.."

There was a warning in that tone and even though Regina knew there was no threat of harm, that she wasn't a child anymore, and she could defend herself, she felt herself cower by instinct. "I was with Em- Miss Swan."

"The Savior?" Cora asked incredulously.

"I- Yes."

"Why?" She demanded.

Regina, uncharacteristically hunched over in her seat and still studiously avoiding Cora's eye, responded softly, "Because she asked me to have dinner with her. For Valentine's Day."

Cora sneered. That meaningless celebration had apparently made its way to this magicless land. Cora could very well remember the ridiculous lad (brought up by the fairies, how could one be anything but?) who used his magic to encourage love and sentimental nonsense even in times of war. Back in the Enchanted Forest, Cora had longed to find the boy and crush the famously large heart. Or she could have kept it and -

And why was her daughter spending time with the Savior on a day dedicated to love and adoration, anyways? It dawned on Cora that Henry was not the only being in this new world that had gotten under her daughter's skin. Once again, resentment towards the Charming family for monopolizing her daughter's time sprung up inside of her, as well as resentment towards Regina for allowing them to.

Not for the first time, Cora wished she could use her magic to do away with those nuisances as she had done to anything else that had ever stood in the path between her and her daughter. Cora hated having to share. She could just imagine reaching into Snow and David's chest - 

She cleared her head of such thoughts. As much as she wanted to be the only influencing factor in Regina's life, the fact remained that they had been separated for many years and neither of them were the same person that they were nearly three decades ago. Regina as she was now, softened by the love for the grandson of her enemy, would never approve of such acts, and Cora, heart in place and magic binding shackle on her ankle, dared not betray her daughter's trust by going after the family.

Regina had been sitting dejectedly the whole time, blind to the thoughts and emotions that had been flitting across Cora's face for the past few minutes. Cora schooled her emotions once more, before asking as sympathetically as she could, "Would I be right to presume the dinner didn't go as well as you had hoped?"

"No. Yes. The dinner was fine, it's just.." Regina looked troubled. "It's complicated, mother, I don't wish to discuss it, if that's all right with you."

"It's not," Cora kept her tone even, unwilling to scare her daughter away. She moved to sit closer to Regina and placed what she hoped would feel like a comforting hand on the other woman's thigh. "Why must you shut me out, dear? All I want is your happiness, but you've been positively despondent since you've come home. Now, what happened tonight?"

Although Regina was clearly conflicted at her mother actually attempting to provide support, a few weeks of having a mother with a heart didn't cancel out a lifetime of emotional neglect and abuse, the frustration that had been eating away at her all night won over the suspicion. "Emma wanted me to go back to her apartment with her."

The hand that had been patting Regina's thigh in encouragement suddenly stilled. "And what did you say?"

"I said I couldn't."

Cora waited for Regina to continue and when she didn't, Cora resumed petting her daughter's thigh and asked almost pleasantly. "And why not?"

"Because I had to come home."

And Emma had let her. And that was the problem with Emma Swan. She was too understanding. She hadn't even pushed when Regina said no and she had readily agreed when Regina pointed out that it was still too early to leave her mother alone over night. Except that Emma had also laughed and said that it wasn't like she was asking Regina to have a sleepover, she just thought Regina might have wanted to have a cup of something hot to drink before walking home.

After that, Regina had left as quickly as she could, thankful that it was dark out and Emma couldn't see just how red her face had been over her foolish misunderstanding.

Cora's jealousy reared its head, and she was only barely able to contain its violent nature. "Why bother? You clearly would have had a much happier time if you had gone to the Savior's hovel tonight, rather than sulk here in my presence. Obviously my company is not pleasant enough for you, so why shouldn't you have accepted her offer?"

Regina looked alarmed, "No, mother, I wouldn't have -

"Left me alone so you could crawl in bed with the other mother of your son?"

"No! I swear to you, it isn't like that, we've just been getting to know one another for Henry's sake."

But the flush on Regina's cheeks told everything Cora needed to know about her daughter's feelings for the Savior. "You don't have to lie, dear. You've always held your heart on your sleeve as a child. I could see it clear as day then, and I can see it now." Only now Cora could see it wasn't a weakness, but an opportunity. An opportunity ripe for Cora's taking.

"I don't - it doesn't matter anyways. She doesn't feel the same way. She could never feel the same way."

Cora softened her voice. "You don't need her, darling."

"..I know."

"She doesn't deserve you." Regina did not respond to that, so Cora continued. "I can help you."

"What?"

Cora placed a hand on her daughter's cheek and didn't blink an eye when Regina flinched slightly. "I said, I can help you. I can give you what you need."

Regina looked confused until she felt Cora's hand snake its way around her waist to pull her in. Her eyes widened. "Mother, no, this isn't -"

"Isn't it? This is why you agreed to have dinner with the Savior tonight, isn't it? This is why you wanted to go when she invited you into her home, but couldn't, and it's why you've been acting like a miserable child all night, isn't it?"

Regina made to push Cora's body away from her, to gain some distance and some semblance of control over this rapidly spinning situation, but Cora only used the momentum to trap Regina's body against the arm of the sofa with her own. She cupped Regina's face in both her hands.

"If this is what you need, then I am willing to give it to you. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you including this. Forget everything, darling. And just.." Cora stared deep into her daughter's chocolate brown eyes. "Let me in." She whispered before she closed the distance between their lips.

/

They had tumbled from sofa to floor, then from sitting room to bedroom where Regina finally allowed her clothes to be pulled off and discarded in a messy pile by the door. Cora lay on top of her daughter, taking her time to suck at a sensitive spot she found under Regina's jaw while her hands worked at teasing other parts of her daughter's body.

Cora moaned headily as her hips rolled against Regina's. It felt so, so good and not just the sensation between her legs. As she palmed Regina's breasts and took Regina's nipple between her fingers and squeezed and pulled, hearing her daughter squeal more in pleasure than in pain, Cora was overcome by a feeling of triumph. It felt amazing to finally take back what was hers. What had always been hers.

She could finally take care of her daughter in the way Regina deserved and the way Regina so desperately needed, if her quiet pleas for her mother to finish her were to be believed. 

How long had it been since Regina had someone between her legs? Since someone had worshipped her body like the queen her daughter was? Cora brought her hand between her daughter's leg and pressed a thumb against her clit, rubbing circles fervently, rubbing to let Regina know just how much Cora loved her.

Regina's moans filled the room. Her daughter was so wet, Cora could smell her and she loved her daughter's scent. She made sure her fingers were coated with wetness from between Regina's legs before she eased one, then two, then three fingers inside her daughter. Cora began pumping. Regina met each stroke with a movement of her hips while Cora continued to grind herself against Regina's thigh, coating it with her juices.

She kept thrusting and stroking, quickly at first and then slower, plunging deep before pulling her fingers out slightly to grind the heel of her palm against Regina's swollen clit. She teased wetness and pleasure out of her daughter until Regina was nothing but a quivering mess of limbs underneath her.

When she felt Regina's walls tighten around her fingers, she pulled out, and Regina nearly cried at the loss of contact. She wondered if this was a new form of punishment that her mother was inflicting on her for going out with the Savior, but before she could let out a string of "pleases", Cora put her mouth between Regina's legs and began to lick.

After that, all it took was a long, hard suck on her clit and Regina felt herself toppling over the edge, the sensation filling her from head to the tips of her curled toes. Her head was flung back and her mouth making sounds that would have been embarrassing had she not been high on the waves of her release.

Her mother's muddled praises reached her ears and she felt a warmth spread in her chest. Despite the fact that this was likely a sin against nature, Regina could not deny the love and devotion that she felt deep in her heart for Cora tonight. For the gift of Cora's tongue between her legs and the sweet, sweet words her mother had whispered into her ear on what would otherwise have been a lonely night.

Cora reached her own climax soon after, having brought a hand down between her legs to get herself off to her daughter's cries and moans. She shuddered as she came, pressing hot, breathy kisses to Regina's still very wet, inner thigh.

Cora kissed her way up Regina's body, before pressing her mouth against those full, pink lips hoping that her daughter could taste herself, taste how delicious and desirable she truly was.

"Happy Valentines Day, sweetheart."


End file.
